My Bloody Valentine

Director: George Mihalka

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082782

Review: Doesn't really hold attention well but still brings a fair amount of nicely shot sequences and fun ideas.

Watch it if: You want something of its time.

And if you liked: Silent Night, Deadly Night, New Year's Evil

Phantom of the Paradise

Director: Brian De Palma

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071994

Review: Delirious and insane with a real sense of thrust and style.

Watch it if: You want something that does entirely what it wants.

And if you liked: Shock Treatment, Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, A Clockwork Orange, The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Banshees of Inisherin

Director: Martin McDonagh

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11813216

Review: Intriguing and mostly well performed but relies on its setting to deliver a certain amount of depth that the story doesn't fully live up to.

Watch it if: You want to see something that manages to derive a lot from a simple premise.

And if you liked: First Reformed, Calvary, The Seventh Seal

New Year's Evil

Director: Emmett Alston

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082806

Review: Builds tension and intrigue decently with some good ideas and shot with a reasonable amount of flair.

Watch it if: You're interested in the higher end of the grungy slashers.

And if you liked: Silent Night, Deadly Night, Black Christmas

Babylon

Director: Damien Chazelle

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10640346

Review: Doesn't quite land as well as it could but carries a great deal on its own steam and thrust with a lot of fun in the chaos.

Watch it if: You're ok with something sprawling.

And if you liked: Singin' in the Rain, The Artist, La La Land

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Director: DIRECTOR

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11564570

Review: Cheats a little bit but otherwise brings he right levels of silliness combined with a well managed story structure.

Watch it if: You enjoy a convoluted mystery plot.

And if you liked: Knives Out, Death on the Nile (2022)

It's a Wonderful Life

Director: Frank Capra

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650

Review: Perfect in most aspects with gorgeous imagery and a deeply charismatic lead performance.

Watch it if: You've somehow never seen it like me.

And if you liked: Back to the Future Part II

Check this out: The Greatest Gift

Black Christmas

Director: Bob Clark

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071222

Review: Meanders a lot but brings plenty of tension and interesting ideas to the table.

Watch it if: You're interested in the history of the genre.

And if you liked: Peeping Tom, Halloween, Terror Train

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Director: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1488589

Review: Poignant and gorgeous in equal measure with a clear moral thread and an unflinching eye.

Watch it if: You're ok with something not afraid to be strange.

And if you liked: The Boxtrolls, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Beetlejuice, Porco Rosso

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Director: Jeff Fowler

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12412888

Review: A few bits of fun but gets really lost in a large mess of half-baked ideas.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that just goes off on unnecessary tangents with unsettling implications.

And if you liked: Sonic the Hedgehog

Blood Relatives

Director: Noah Segan

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21818188

Review: A few janky bits of compositing aside, a fairly breezy and comfortable piece with some interesting ideas and good humour.

Watch it if: You want something that's enjoyable without necessarily shaking your world.

And if you liked: God Bless America, Near Dark

Bones and All

Director: Luca Guadagnino

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10168670

Review: Strange and seductive in interesting ways with some genuinely affecting scenes and ideas.

Watch it if: You can handle something that gets fairly gruesome at times.

And if you liked: Call Me by Your Name, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Killer Inside Me

Check this out: Bones and All

The Menu

Director: Mark Mylod

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9764362

Review: Funny and entertaining in the right ways with a good thrust through the story and some inventive storytelling.

Watch it if: You enjoy something fairly arch in its satire.

And if you liked: Ready or Not, Would You Rather?

Speak No Evil

Director: Christian Tafdrup

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14253846

Review: Plays with awkward tension masturfully for most of its runtime but unfortunately loses its power devolving into dark sadness towards the end.

Watch it if: You can handle something going very grim.

And if you liked: Force Majeure, Midsommar

The Night House

Director: David Bruckner

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9731534

Review: Spooky and creepy with a plot that defies predictability and a refreshing lead performance.

Watch it if: You're not alone in a house a night.

And if you liked: Midnight Mass, Hellraiser (2022), Silent House (2011)

Mr. Harrigan's Phone

Director: John Lee Hancock

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12908110

Review: Interesting and well paced for a while but eventually peters out and loses its sense of direction.

Watch it if: You want something mildly distracting that doesn't necessarily stay with you.

And if you liked: 1922, Bird Box

Check this out: Mr. Harrigan's Phone

The Lost City

Director: Aaron Nee and Adam Nee

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13320622

Review: Fun and silly in the right places with enough plot to pull it through and enjoyable chemistry from the cast.

Watch it if: You want something light and breezy.

And if you liked: Romancing the Stone, The Rundown, The Heat

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Director: Ryan Coogler

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9114286

Review: A little slow in places but brings weight to its emotional core and rounds it out with strong performances across the board.

Watch it if: You're following the MCU and/or Black Panther story.

And if you liked: Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War

Fear

Director: James Foley

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116287

Review: What could have been a decent thriller is completely let down by its clunky plot refinement and dialogue.

Watch it if: You're interested in seeing some successful actors early in their careers.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction, Consenting Adults

Sliver

Director: Phillip Noyce

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108162

Review: Some interesting and weird stuff going on, especially in the first half, but let down by some bland casting and fairly rote plot beats.

Watch it if: You want to see a clean slice of 1993.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction, Consenting Adults, Body Double

Check this out: Sliver

Black Adam

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6443346

Review: A few small moments of interest drowning in a sea of cynical formula and dull action.

Watch it if: You're ok with a full mess, politically.

And if you liked: 300, The Mummy (2017), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Director: Eric Appel

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17076046

Review: Starts fully ridiculous and never lets up with plenty of fun moments and silly escalations.

Watch it if: You're ok with something unabashadly stupid.

And if you liked: A Futile and Stupid Gesture, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Bill and Ted Face the Music

Check this out: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Something in the Dirt

Director: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14895716

Review: Could be trimmed down a little but is refreshing in its creativity and simplicity with some beautiful sequences and genuinely funny moments.

Watch it if: You want something uncompromised.

And if you liked: Primer, I Am Not a Serial Killer

Consenting Adults

Director: Alan J. Pakula

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104006

Review: Doesn't quite hold the line through to the end but zips along at a tense pace.

Watch it if: You can ignore some fairly unsettling aspects.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction, Sleeping with the Enemy, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle

Resurrection

Director: Andrew Semans

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11540726

Review: Tense and bizarre with a creeping tone that gets under the skin and strong and subtle central performances.

Watch it if: You're interested in how insane something can be while still appearing fairly straight-forward.

And if you liked: Enemy, Felt, Titane

V/H/S/94

Director: Jennifer Reeder, Chloe Okuno, Steven Kostanski, Simon Barrett, Ryan Prows and Timo Tjahjanto

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14867006

Review: Most segments could use an edit but each one brings something interesting and fun to the table.

Watch it if: You're interested in found footage and/or anthology films.

And if you liked: V/H/S, V/H/S/2, V/H/S/ Viral

Prey for the Devil

Director: Daniel Stamm

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9271672

Review: Some interesting ideas and themes that don't manage to pull their head over a sea of old-hat clichés.

Watch it if: You're unfamiliar with standard horror tropes and tricks.

And if you liked: The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Conjuring

Raising Cain

Director: Brian De Palma

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105217

Review: Completely bonkers and off the rails in a fully compelling and engaging manner.

Watch it if: You want something that'll keep you guessing with every subsequent move.

And if you liked: Lost Highway, Psycho, Barbarian

Halloween Ends

Director: David Gordon Green

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10665342

Review: Weakens when it doesn't hold to its absolutely insane path but still brings some wild ideas to the table and never bores.

Watch it if: You're ok with something taking some absolutely huge swings, even if they don't all hit.

And if you liked: Halloween Kills, Christine, Drive, River's Edge

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle

Director: Curtis Hanson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104389

Review: Drags a little towards the end but delivers a good amount of tension and intrigue while holding off on physical violence for an admirable amount of its runtime.

Watch it if: You can handle some elements that have aged awfully.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction, Side Effects

Hocus Pocus 2

Director: Anne Fletcher

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11909878

Review: Hits a few of the standard pitfalls in this type of thing but carries the charm of the original pretty well enough to justify itself.

Watch it if: You have affection for the original film.

And if you liked: Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Sabrina the Teenage Witch

Hellraiser (2022)

Director: David Bruckner

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887261

Review: Could push a few of its details harder but holds a nice eerie tone and leans into the lore in ways that are more interesting than previous attempts.

Watch it if: You want to see a Hellraiser franchise finally pull itself out of the trenches.

And if you liked: Hellraiser, Cronos, Thir13en Ghosts, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

Smile

Director: Parker Finn

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15474916

Review: A fairly unoriginal set-up delivered with more flair than one would expect which could have pulled it through were it not 25 minutes too long.

Watch it if: You want to see something a little more visually interesting while still being fairly by the numbers.

And if you liked: It Follows, The Ring (2002)

Orphan: First Kill

Director: William Brent Bell

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11851548

Review: A few janky elements that could be smoother but tons of fun with the right amount of twists and turns.

Watch it if: You enjoy something that knows what level of silliness it sits on.

And if you liked: Orphan, Brahms: The Boy II, The Woman

Sleeping with the Enemy

Director: Joseph Ruben

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102945

Review: A few clever strokes but feels like an early draft of a more cohesive and connected story.

Watch it if: You want to see a specific slice of the era it was made.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction, Pacific Heights

Check this out: Sleeping with the Enemy

The Munsters

Director: Rob Zombie

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14813212

Review: A complete mess in terms of story focus but delivers charm, silliness and enough laughs to the point it doesn't really matter.

Watch it if: You don't need a clear plot to enjoy something.

And if you liked: What We Do in the Shadows, The Addams Family (2019)

Check this out: The Munsters

Pacific Heights

Director: John Schlesinger

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100318

Review: Has aged badly in some insane ways but zips along beautifully with gorgeous moody imagery and well pitched performances.

Watch it if: You want to see something bizarrely conservative.

And if you liked: Fatal Attraction

Don't Worry Darling

Director: Olivia Wilde

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10731256

Review: A few interesting images early on can't save a plodding metaphor with a central intrigue that doesn't survive its revelations.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that cribs imagery from other more successful films without adding much to them.

And if you liked: The Truman Show, Get Out, Beyond the Black Rainbow

Fatal Attraction

Director: Adrian Lyne

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093010

Review: Takes its time to slowly bring its tension to a crest with convincing character chemistry and smart textural atmosphere.

Watch it if: You somehow have never seen it like I hadn't.

And if you liked: Body Double, The Gift

Check this out: Diversion

Pearl

Director: Ti West

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18925334

Review: Unique in its plotting and approach with some excellently devised tension and a strong lead performance.

Watch it if: You want something with a unique shape.

And if you liked: X, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Killer Joe

Day Shift

Director: J.J. Perry

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13314558

Review: Not changing the world in any way but knows what it is and delivers that with a good sense of fun.

Watch it if: You want something fairly light and breezy that moves along at a decent pace.

And if you liked: Ash vs Evil Dead, The Other Guys, R.I.P.D., Zombieland

Morbius

Director: Daniel Espinosa

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5108870

Review: A real mess of half-baked ideas that make it hard to really latch onto any aspect of character, tone or action.

Watch it if: You feel the need to mark it off a list.

And if you liked: Venom, Blade: Trinity

Check this out: Morbius, the Living Vampire

Three Thousand Years of Longing

Director: George Miller

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9198364

Review: Loses momentum in its last 20 minutes or so but brings a calming tone to a comfortably unwinding tale.

Watch it if: You want something unique that moves at its own pace.

And if you liked: Song of the Sea, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

Check this out: The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye

Barbarian

Director: Zach Cregger

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15791034

Review: Loses some of its tension towards the end but dazzles with its ingenuity and ability to swerve away from audience expectation.

Watch it if: You want something you couldn't possibly predict.

And if you liked: Don't Breathe, X

Child's Play (2019)

Director: Lars Klevberg

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8663516

Review: Some decent set pieces and visuals hampered by an offputting design and a fair amount of missed plot opportunities.

Watch it if: You're curious about how this could be re-imagined.

And if you liked: Small Soldiers, Monkey Shines, Child's Play

Check this out: Child's Play

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Director: Halina Reijn

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8110652

Review: Funny and tense in equal amounts with a strong cast and a plot that keeps you guessing until the end.

Watch it if: You want something that has a good handle on what to take seriously and what to have fun with.

And if you liked: Scream, Ready or Not

Prey

Director: Dan Trachtenberg

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11866324

Review: Patient and smart with its crafting with some great action beats and excellent design.

Watch it if: You want something that roots its action in character.

And if you liked: Predator, Predators

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Director: Jason Reitman

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4513678

Review: A decent and fun adventure movie when its restraining itself that unfortunately drops all that restraint in the last few minutes.

Watch it if: You love Ghostbusters more than earned fan-service.

And if you liked: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II

Nope

Director: Jordan Peele

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10954984

Review: A full cornucopia of interesting material that brings laugh-out-loud comedy, thrilling adventure and deep deep horror to the table in equal measure.

Watch it if: You want something that'll throw a lot of rich stuff your way.

And if you liked: Signs, Close Encounters of the Third Kind

The Black Phone

Director: Scott Derrickson

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7144666

Review: A good balance of tone and plotting with some keen ideas and impressive performances.

Watch it if: You want something that's hard to nail down throughout.

And if you liked: Sinister, It

Check this out: The Black Phone

The Rage: Carrie 2

Director: Katt Shea

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144814

Review: Fascinating as a time capsule with one or two interesting things to say but bogged down by overripe approaches and slavish ties to the original source material.

Watch it if: You're a completionist.

And if you liked: Cruel Intentions, S. Darko, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

Thor: Love and Thunder

Director: Taika Waititi

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10648342

Review: Baggy and messy in most ways without any real heavy impact but carries through enough on its own charm and humour to justify itself.

Watch it if: You're already invested in this universe.

And if you liked: Thor: Ragnarok, Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy

Lightyear

Director: Angus MacLane

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10298810

Review: Fairly dazzling visually in many places but clunky in its storytelling and expression of themes.

Watch it if: You have an emotional connection to the character already.

And if you liked: Toy Story, Top Gun: Maverick, 2001: A Space Odyssey

Top Gun: Maverick

Director: Joseph Kosinski

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960

Review: Knows exactly what it is and what it needs to be while delivering some breathtaking aerial footage and several perfectly choreographed action sequences.

Watch it if: You're not put off by the jingoistic nature of it.

And if you liked: Top Gun, Star Wars

Crimes of the Future

Director: David Cronenberg

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14549466

Review: Strange and alluring in equal measure with offputting imagery right from the start and a real sense of bizarre tension.

Watch it if: You can handle something getting under your skin in an unsettling way.

And if you liked: Crash, eXistenZ, Dead Ringers

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Director: Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6710474

Review: Compelling and chaotic from the start with a multitude of fun moments and deep emotional heft.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that throws a lot at you.

And if you liked: Uncut Gems, Looper, The Matrix

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Director: Sam Raimi

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9419884

Review: Not quite as multiversal as its title suggests but happy to dive in head first to all other types of fun and chaos it can with plenty of big surprises and exciting set pieces.

Watch it if: You're ok with something that pushes the spookiness more than these films tend to.

And if you liked: Army of Darkness, Doctor Strange, Darkman

Dracula Untold

Director: Gary Shore

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829150

Review: Takes fairly overplayed tropes and applies them to a different property without much to interest or elevate.

Watch it if: You're curious about what it could be.

And if you liked: 300, Dracula (1992), Jonah Hex

X

Director: Ti West

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13560574

Review: Subversive and fun in the right ways with plenty of great moments and some impressive performances.

Watch it if: You're ok with some fairly gnarly violence.

And if you liked: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Motel Hell, The Visit

Nobody

Director: Ilya Naishuller

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7888964

Review: A strong twist on this type of character with fun set-pieces and a great central performance.

Watch it if: You want an action movie with a good streak of humour through it.

And if you liked: John Wick, Force Majeure

Maximum Overdrive

Director: Stephen King

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091499

Review: Understands what it is and what it wants to do inherently with a solid sense of fun and some genuinely spectacular effects work.

Watch it if: You want something that just leans into every one of its impulses.

And if you liked: Duel, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight

Check this out: Trucks

Jonah Hex

Director: Jimmy Hayward

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1075747

Review: Never really elevates itself about mediocre with some seriously dated choices and a cast fully sleeping through it.

Watch it if: You want to see 2004 crystalized in 2010.

And if you liked: Wild Wild West, X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Check this out: Jonah Hex

Cujo

Director: Lewis Teague

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085382

Review: Has difficulty holding momentum but delivers hard on the tension and violent scenes.

Watch it if: You want something a little gnarlier than you might expect.

And if you liked: Jaws, Silver Bullet

Check this out: Cujo

Silver Bullet

Director: Daniel Attias

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090021

Review: Fairly disjointed in tone with some odd segments but delivers a reasonable amount of fun and shonk to get it through to the end.

Watch it if: You want something that shoots from the hip.

And if you liked: Creepshow, Salem's Lot

Check this out: Cycle of the Werewolf

The Batman

Director: Matt Reeves

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877830

Review: Some incredible sequences and great images swimming in a dreary self-serious tone that doesn't ultimately satisfy.

Watch it if: You really like Batman.

And if you liked: Se7en, Blade Runner, Batman Begins, Bram Stoker's Dracula

Warm Bodies

Director: Jonathan Levine

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173

Review: Rushes its conclusions a little but brings an enjoyably light touch and fairly breezy feel to its humour.

Watch it if: You want something that's not earth-shaking but still has some fun ideas.

And if you liked: Return of the Living Dead III, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Check this out: Warm Bodies

Free Guy

Director: Shawn Levy

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6264654

Review: Dips into frustrating reference lists at a few points but otherwise ticks along reasonably well without really offending.

Watch it if: You're ok with something breezy enough that you'll instantly forget.

And if you liked: Wreck-It Ralph, The Nines, Deadpool

A Million Ways to Die in the West

Director: Seth MacFarlane

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2557490

Review: Glides along fairly lightly with no real major swings in either direction apart from a few dips into some unwelcomed racial territory.

Watch it if: You want something with surprisingly decent chemistry between its leads.

And if you liked: Blazing Saddles, Ted, Family Guy

Jackass Forever

Director: Jeff Tremaine

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11466222

Review: The perfect blend of stupidity and silliness mixed with just enough heart to elevate it further.

Watch it if: You like Jackass?

And if you liked: Jackass, Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, Jackass 3D

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

Director: David Blue Garcia

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11755740

Review: At its best when its not trying to replay recent trends and just revelling in its own fun kill scenes but damaged ultimately by a lack of conviction in those same moments.

Watch it if: You're looking for a more standard slasher formula.

And if you liked: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Texas Chainsaw

Death on the Nile

Director: Kenneth Branagh

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7657566

Review: Lush and poetic in its imagery with a strong cast and a surprising amount of emotional heft.

Watch it if: You enjoy an old-fashioned type of mystery story.

And if you liked: Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Check this out: Death on the Nile

Scary Movie

Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0175142

Review: One or two decent gags but mostly filled with fairly weak stuff that hasn't aged well.

Watch it if: You've somehow never seen it like me.

And if you liked: Any kind of low level spoof really

Scream (2022)

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11245972

Review: Manages to hold its ideas together better than most of its predecessors with a refreshing angle and a good amount of bloody violence.

Watch it if: You're into the Scream movies.

And if you liked: Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Scream 4

Nightmare Alley (2021)

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7740496

Review: Draws you in masterfully in a way that allows it to move on its own terms and pacing without ever losing steam or focus.

Watch it if: You want something where you're never sure where it'll go next.

And if you liked: The Shape of Water,The Elephant Man, Freaks

Check this out: Nightmare Alley